A contentious internal conflict has arisen within the city’s police oversight commission, with the majority of members seeking to remove one of the two commissioners spearheading the search for Chicago’s next police superintendent. This tension threatens to introduce political discord into a crucial city decision.
According to several sources cited by CWBChicago, most of the seven-member Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability aims to oust Sandra Wortham, an attorney and former CPD civilian director, from the two-member superintendent search team.
However, Commission President Remel Terry, who is also part of the work group, has resisted removing Wortham. Sources familiar with the situation indicate that this resistance has led other commissioners to consider modifying the commission’s bylaws to allow a majority to replace Wortham without Terry’s consent.
This internal struggle began shortly after CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling announced his retirement on July 1, stepping down two weeks later. The commission is now tasked with selecting three finalists for the city’s leading law enforcement position. The two-person work group will shortlist candidates, all seven commissioners will interview them, and each commissioner’s vote will be equal in determining which three names proceed to the mayor.
On July 10, while the commission was gearing up for the search, CCPSA Vice President and North Side Youth Commissioner Angel Rubi Navarijo emailed colleagues, urging Wortham’s removal from the search team. Sources say Navarijo criticized Wortham for lacking a collaborative work approach, referencing a public hearing last year about proposed limits on Chicago police traffic stops.
During this hearing, an audience member expressed feeling intimidated when an officer shone a flashlight into her car during a traffic stop. Wortham thanked the woman for her comments, showed understanding, and explained that officers shine lights to ensure visibility if a weapon is present, according to attendees. These remarks received a cold reception from other commissioners and the audience.
At that time, the commission was discussing recommendations to limit police officers’ ability to conduct pretextual traffic stops. Wortham, who has lived most of her life in Chicago’s Black communities and previously held a position as a CPD civilian deputy director, publicly opposed limiting traffic stops. CWBChicago later reported that most Chicagoans agreed with her stance based on the commission’s own polling.
Wortham’s supporters suspect her colleagues’ motives are politically driven, aiming to remove the commission’s sole voice with direct law enforcement experience and a perspective that differs from the majority. Wortham is also the daughter of a retired CPD sergeant and the sister of a slain Chicago police officer.
Adding weight to the suspicions of political motivation, a commissioner told CWBChicago they think Wortham has a “biased lens” and leans toward conservative viewpoints.
A former Chicago alderman responded, “All Chicagoans deserve to have a voice on that committee. If they all have the same opinions, we can get rid of six of them.”
On Wednesday morning, CWB Chicago reached out to all seven commissioners for comments; none provided statements for attribution, citing the group’s bylaws. Later, the commission informed CWB Chicago that the city had not found Navarijo’s July 10 email, which had been requested through the Freedom of Information Act. A CCPSA representative stated the search for it continues.
Later that Wednesday, Commissioner Anthony Driver Jr. independently released an open letter urging the City Council to delay the superintendent search until after the next year’s mayoral election.
Driver, along with Terry, led the commission’s previous search resulting in Snelling’s selection as superintendent. Sources indicate Driver is also among those seeking Wortham’s removal from the current search group, despite having been commission president when she was appointed.
Some commissioners were displeased that Terry did not include this issue on the agenda for the CCPSA’s public meeting on Thursday night at the Copernicus Center, 5216 West Lawrence Avenue. Nonetheless, those close to the commission anticipate the dispute will arise during the meeting.
“I expect the hyper-political ones to have people there to raise the topic and throw fuel on it,” one source remarked.
Navarijo, whose email initiated the internal conflict, had a challenging path to the commission. In May 2024, the City Council’s Police and Fire Committee unanimously advanced the nominations of six others for four-year terms on the CCPSA, including Wortham, Terry, and Driver. However, they did not advance Navarijo due to his position as a staff member for Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th). The City Council later confirmed his appointment several months afterward.
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